Message in The Bible (song)

Just like the Coast Guard rescues stranded castaways from a desert island after finding their message in a bottle and just like the police come in to save the day and stop the bad guys- The Lord has come to our rescue to bring us salvation. He gave us a message in The Bible through the years that prophesied of His plan of salvation- all the way back to the Garden. From the first moment that man fell into sin, God was there with His rescue plan- just see Genesis 3:15- the seed of the woman will come and crush the serpent's head. But even before that-even before sin ever came into the world- God already had The Lamb slain- before the foundation of the world! (Revelation 13:8)
      Ultimately, Easter is when the plan was fulfilled- when Jesus came and died on the cross and rose again to pay for all sins. And this is really what we celebrate at Christmas- the promise fulfilled when Jesus came to be born to a virgin, laid in a manger in a stable, worshipped by shepherds and angels and grow up as the perfect Son of God. The Prince of Peace salvation brings- let loving hearts enthrone Him. And He has brought us peace with God- and He will one day come again and bring peace on earth permanently when He reigns supreme and ultimately takes us to Heaven. Merry Christmas and Happy Easter. :-)


"Message in The Bible"
(parody of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/13/2014)
(Luke 1-2, Matthew 1-2, Mark 1:1, John 1:1-18, John 1:29, John 3:16, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6, Romans 10:9, Galatians 4:4, Acts 4:12, Genesis 3:15, Revelation 13:8, John 20:30-31, 1 John 5:13)

Just a captive, hey- in a land (of) darkness deep, oh
So Father shone The Way- a glowing light so great, oh
So go read this- Isaiah 9:2, yeah
Rescue me, oh Lord- I call on You, Messiah!

I'll send an S.O.S. to The Lord
I sent my S.O.S. to The Lord
I know that Yahweh hears me
I hope He comes soon- Lord's Christ
God told (me) He comes ere I die
Simeon's what I'm called, yeah
Luke 2 in The Bible, yeah

In time's fullness sending forth God's Son
In 3:15 Genesis- right from the start
The virgin conceives Immanuel
Lamb will save our lives but
Lamb was slain before start
Christ slain before the start of the world
It's in 13:8 Rev. in The Word
God wrote down so many signs
Recorded by prophets through time
Foretold so we would believe

Message in The Bible, yeah
(The) Message in The Bible, yeah
20:31 [three one] John wrote, yeah

On Christmas morning (The) Word became flesh and blood
1:14 John's Gospel- watched glory of The Lord
Means we're not alone- Thou didst leave Thy throne
John 3:16- God just gave His kid for our souls
God sent His S-o-n to the world
God sent His S-o-n to the world
I know that no one else saves
I know salvation comes by
Our hope in God's Son for Life
Romans 10:9 Paul told (how)
All sins have been paid (in) full, yeah
Message in The Bible, yeah
Christmas- birth of our Hope, yeah

Sending out J-E-S-U-S
Sending down J-E-S-U-S
Sending out J-E-S-U-S
Sending down J-E-S-U-S
Sending out J-E-S-U-S
Sending down J-E-S-U-S
(repeat many times)

.......................................................

The Facts of Life and What to Do with Them (song)

Just a quick one here- I wrote this one pretty quickly for fun one day- and it's based on some of my favorite Bible verses. And yes- these are the facts of life that Christ taught us. :-)

"The Facts of Life and What to Do With Them"
(parody of "The Facts of Life" theme song by Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring and Al Burton; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 11/18/2014)
(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 and John 14:6)

You take the good, discard the bad- You test 'em both and there you have- 1 Thess. 5: 21 line....
In next line we're taught avoid evil- We're growing-
now we know about the facts of life (from) the Word of Christ.
Well, the world always schemes- so be living up to His creed.
And suddenly, you're finding out the facts of life are all about Truth (all about Truth)- Truth! (All about Truth!)
We've only got One Way, Truth, Life- I've determined He's Jesus Christ! (Learning from 14 John) Learning the Word of Christ (Learning the Word of Christ) and learning the facts of Life!

Do Not Harden Your Heart (song)

After just posting a piece talking about music that honors God, I thought it would be appropriate to follow up with music that I surely hope honors God. That is always my intention in all my writings and everything in life, of course- it's at the heart of all I strive to do. And as God instructs us in the Old and New Testaments, we must not let our hearts harden, but rather keep them softened and pliable towards The Lord. When we start compromising and allowing sin into our lives, we make it easier and easier for our hearts to harden to what we know is right and wrong. As God said a number of times in The Bible, we must not let ourselves turn either to the right or the left- not even a quarter of the way to either direction- but instead stay steady on the straight and narrow path God has called us to walk. And this walk is not a walk in the park and not a flash in the pan. Sometimes it feels like it moves like The Flash though- but it's gonna pan out in the end because it's Christ who is working in and through us. (Galatians 2:20) Let's keep our eyes fixed on Him and our hearts softened to His voice as He leads us on.

"Do Not Harden Your Heart"
(parody of "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/31/2014)
(Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 11, Numbers 14, Numbers 16, Numbers 20, Deuteronomy 9, Deuteronomy 15:7, Psalms 95, Hebrews 3-4, 1 Samuel 6:6, Psalms 81:7, Psalms 106:32-33, Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:1-6)

Whining for some water
Exodus 17
At Meribah and
Massah- we're in sin
We're testing The Lord
And quarreling too, you guys
Drawing from a rock a stream
Moe hit the rock and it flowed (ohh ohh)
Saw the sign from God but ohh!
Ohh-ohh-ohh!

I'm gonna harden my heart
I'm gonna wallow in fears
I'm gonna spurn and grieve God here

All of our gripes-
We've been faithless with disdain
We've been walking by our feelings
(But) the righteous live by faith
Our leader Moses
Keeps bringing God appeals
Drawing from a rock a stream
In Numbers 20 also ohh-ohh
But this time, Moe lost his cool

Again, we hardened our hearts
Moe didn't follow God here
He lost his turn at Canaan there

(Instrumental Interlude)

Quarreling- our recurring theme
The desert tried our souls
And that's why God let us know
Ohh-ohh-ohh

So do not harden your heart
You need to swallow your pride
So go and turn to Psalms 95

Don't go and harden your heart
You need to swallow your pride
Don't go and harden your heart
You need to swallow your pride
Harken your heart
And choose to follow God right
Hebrews 3 and 4
Harken your heart
And let God soften your heart
If today His voice you hear
Then do not harden your heart
And don't get swallowed like Korah
Harken your heart
And choose to follow God near
Ohh-ohh-ohh
But do not harden your heart
.............................................................

What Music Honors God?

[Note: Another addition from the archives on a topic that still continues to be a hot topic of contention for some churches and Christians at times. And I'm a big fan of music in general and so I wanted to repost this one particularly. I may do a follow-up piece at some point about Christian music in general and some of my thoughts on that. Enjoy and rock (or Gregorian chant) on- for Jesus! :-)]

Okay- whoa! I ran across this video on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQTP6Ad5Og&mode=related&search=
(Now to be fair, this is a 10 minute video that's edited down from a 45 minute sermon- so apparently all the Scriptural references are somewhere in those other 35 minutes...)
But this was interesting to watch.  I  have experienced many styles of worship at churches, especially considering the church I grew up going to (good old Chaguanas Evangelical Bible Church in Trinidad [http://cebctt.com/])- the one I was at for most of my teen years (http://web.archive.org/web/20070502183429/http://www.pelionbaptist.com/)- and the "megachurch" Newspring (www.newspring.cc) that I went to for a while and my current church, which offers a blend of classic and contemporary styles. (www.brushycreek.org)
I don't agree with the views in the video- because I think it's most important that your heart is truly worshipping Jesus and I don't think He really cares what kind of music you're playing- (and you know He must be God if He can stand country music and actually enjoy it when it's praising Him! )
Yeah, I'm definitely NOT God.  I can stand country music when it's praising God- but enjoy it? ....I don't think so! (lol- I've learned to put up with it a little more over the years- still one of my least favorite styles of music, but there are a few country songs that I like.)
I recently read through a book at the library called "Why I Left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement".  Very interesting read- written by a guy who was into secular rock music, led worship at a church that did a lot of contemporary Christian music- and is now at a very traditional church that only uses traditional music- i.e. hymns.
http://www.amazon.com/Left-Contemporary-Christian-Music-Movement/dp/0852345178/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6198925-3183029?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174948872&sr=8-1
Anyway, I guess this is to say that I've been to both ends of the spectrum to some degree.  I've been at churches that stick closely to traditional hymns (and by the way- "And Can It Be?" by Charles Wesley still rocks my socks off! :-))  and my current church likes to use more recent worship music (like that great song that goes "And I know that You're alive- You came to fix my broken life- And I will sing to glorify- Your Holy Name- Jesus Christ!" :-))
And I wanted to be fair and listen to the author's points.  And the author of the book at least, does have some valid points.  He does bring out 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Avoid every kind of evil." - Absolutely! We should definitely do this because we should do everything in The Bible.  Of course, if you read the verse right before that it says this - "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
I guess I grew up as a kid singing hymns in church, along with worship choruses (like Rich Mullins' "Awesome God", "What a Mighty God We Serve", "Seek Ye First", and lots of others you probably don't know for geographic reasons ...)
Of course, as a kid we also sang the hymns A LOT faster than the way they're sung in some of the churches I've been to in the USA. 
What I don't get is where these guys see that The Bible ever says rock and roll is evil?  I've yet to find that verse.  (And not to brag, but I have read them all at least twice- working on the third go round now....)
Who decided what was God's style of music? 
I think the heart of worship is WAY more important to God than the style of music.  This is the same reason God doesn't care if you sing like a nightingale or crow like a...well, crow.  The important thing is not so much how pretty your voice sounds- but how pretty your heart looks.  If you're truly worshipping God, I really don't think He cares beans about what style of music you're using.  I mean, this is the God who created like a gazillion kinds of bugs!  He made people different shades of skin.  I mean, the same style of music (yes, even that beloved country-rap ) does get boring after a while.  So I don't personally have any problem with different styles of music- as long as it's truly worshipping God.  The lyrics really make the song for me- not the music (though having good fun music you can rock out to is cool too)
Now keep in mind that I fully believe you can sing "How Great Thou Art" every single Sunday and God would never get tired of it.  I never get tired of singing it- it ROCKS!!!  Because God ROCKS!!!!!
But there's nothing wrong with playing blue's licks!  As Larry Norman put it "Why should the devil have all the good music?"
I can also sing "What's In a Name?" by Petra and totally rock out to it- and it definitely praises Jesus- Name above all names!
    I think we do need to not be a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters (1 Corinthians 10:32- "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God")- but at the same time Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 9:22 "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
And then there's the Psalms.
"Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp." (Psalms 149:3)
"Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and the lyre, praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."  (Psalms 150)
Note that "Praise Him" is the most frequently repeated phrase here.  That's the most important thing. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ- with the Gregorian chants, with the pipe organs, with the baby grand piano, with the acoustic guitar, with the electric guitar, with the harp, with the drums, with the violin, with the flute, with the trumpet, with the tambourine, with your own dancing- and most importantly with your life!  Praise God with everything you've got! 
If hymns are reaching people and bringing them to salvation in Christ- AWESOME!  If Gregorian chants are reaching people and bringing them to salvation in Christ-AWESOME! If rock and roll is reaching people and bringing them to Christ-AWESOME!
Because ultimately it really doesn't matter what music you use or if you use any at all.  The Holy Spirit is what draws people to Jesus and brings them to salvation.  Not the music, the pews, carpet, pastor's preaching or anything else.  Just the Holy Spirit.  We get the awesome privilege of being His tools to witness for Him - and when we just share the Good News that Jesus Christ loves you to death- (literally on His part- but don't worry- He rose again! Talk about a love that really reaches from beyond the grave! ) then that's all that matters.  The Holy Spirit uses us and helps us get the right words out and brings people to salvation.  And we see that everything is about God- and we are used by Him for His purposes if we're open to Him.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Edom's Seed and Israel's Seed (song)

Sometimes little things can give wings to much bigger things- and that can be true both for the negative and the positive. It may be a wonder to us to think of how two brothers could drift so far apart, but yet this is what The Lord prophesied would happen for the nations of Edom and Israel, which of course were founded by Esau and Jacob, respectively. And though Esau and Jacob (AKA Israel) eventually reconciled, their nations continued to be at odds- and a long-standing feud eventually came to a head in the shortest book of the Old Testament- the book of Obadiah. He was a prophet whom God sent to preach to the people of Edom about the evil way they had treated their brother nation of Israel. Edom was condemned to be destroyed for its haughtiness and evil treatment of Israel and ultimate rebellion against God. And God would restore Israel to its land and its things. And as He would later inspire Paul to write about, we must rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. And in everything, as much as it's possible and as much as it's up to us, we should live in peace with everyone. There is a powerful message of love for all people throughout The Bible, of course, and especially for our own brother- let's strive to live at peace with everyone and live together in love and perfect harmony (only possible through the perfection of Jesus living in us, of course)- just like the multiple colors of the fall leaves live together in peace and just like ebony and ivory live together in harmony side by side on the piano keyboard- just like the Master Tuner who plays out His perfect symphony through all His instruments as He choreographs and arranges.

"Edom's Seed and Israel's Seed"
(parody of "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney [featuring Stevie Wonder]; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 11/10/2014)
(Malachi 1:1-5, Genesis 25, Psalms 133, Psalms 137, Genesis 33, Galatians 3:28, Romans 12 [particularly verses 9-21], Obadiah [all 21 verses, but particularly 1:1-5, 1:10-14, and 1:15-21])

Edom's seed and Israel's seed
Share together a turbulent history
25 in Genesis- predicts
The Lord- old serves young!

Esau and bro
Their peoples were estranged- Seir and Zion opposed
The old feud began with Isaac's sons
Esau spurned his gift- Jacob stole it from his brother
The blessing and birthright
Then ran for his life

Eventually- Gen. 33
Bros together and forgiven- harmony!
Such a sight- Psalms 133:1
Oh, Lord- Shine on me!

[(With) Everyone- if it's up to me
(I'm) living in perfect harmony
(like) Ebony (and) Ivory, ooh]

Esau's folks
Those people had disdain for Jacob's, you know
They just stood while Bab-(mmm)-ylonians
Attacked their kin- Edom laughed- they'll get comeuppance
Edom's beat- (it's) prophesied
Obadiah 1:5

Edom thinks so pridefully
"Who can ever bring me down- or (bring) harm to me?"
Gliding high like an eagle you soar
The Lord brings down thee

None survive when house (of) Esau- he's burned
Your own returned deeds!

Everything's all rosy
Israel's returning home, you see
There will be Zion peeps
Escaping (from) burning- (and) it's holy
All hunky and dory
Written in Obadiah- read!

Elohim's Word- He keeps
Giving Israel back land and things
Edom- we learn from thee
Commiserate with those who weep
Romans 12:16 read
Living in Christ in harmony
...................................................

Endure A Little While Longer

(NOTE: Another entry from the archives, as I mentioned in the last post. I hope to have some new writings on various topics coming soon. :-) I hope this blesses and encourages you.)

(Revelation 2:3, Mark 13:13, 2 Timothy 2:12)

I just ran out into the cold winter weather to get the rest of my things in from the car with no jacket on. Of course, I've done brief sprints into the cold with shorts, T-shirt and sandals before. I was just thinking how it's funny that I'm willing to do silly and even foolhardy things at times when I know whatever discomfort I feel won't be long and I know the end result is worth it. It's harder... to remember that sometimes in the spiritual life, but the comparison is still true. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to serve The Lord with gladness and endure hardships as good soldiers of The Lord Jesus Christ. And though the trials seems long and arduous and even unbearable or impossible at times, we know that it won't be that long overall and the end result (the strengthening of our faith, as James 1 talks about) will be worth it. Of course, we also have the promise of the ultimate destination at the end- as Philippians 1:6 says (along with numerous others), God will present us perfect in Christ Jesus one day in Heaven! The One who is coming will come and will not delay- He will come in just a very little while. (Now whether that little while is a matter of minutes or a matter of millennia, we don't know and can't say- but regardless of whether The Lord returns in our lifetime or not)- the righteous one will live by faith. And God's not pleased with us if we shrink back- since that leads to destruction- but we're not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved! Hallelujah and Maranatha! Our light and momentary struggles are not worth comparing with the Glory that will be revealed in us. (Christ in us! And of course, He is the Hope of Glory! And The King of Glory! The One alone worthy of all glory, honor and praise! Praise The Lord!) So while the world might call us silly, stupid and foolhardy- we will gladly bear the title of fools for Christ because the foolishness of the cross is the power of salvation for us who believe and the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom! And through it all, Jesus is right there with us every step of the narrow way and never leaves us! And The Holy Spirit lives in us, guiding and teaching us. God Himself is going to get us home to God! In a little while we'll be with The Father forever... Until then, we must journey on on this unexpected journey to another land beyond what any eye has seen or ear has heard or mind has conceived of goodness God has for us. So don't be discouraged or afraid- be of good cheer, for Christ has overcome the world! Let's keep striving to be awkwardly uncomfortable for Christ a little while longer- the winter will end soon and Christmas will come... Keep walking by faith and not by sight and trust the untame but good Lion of Judah. He will get this fellowship home safely. Fight the good fight, keep the faith, and run the race for the prize!

This passage that I love from "At the Back of the North Wind" by George MacDonald beautifully demonstrates the point I'm trying to get across here. If you haven't read this awesome book from the guy who C.S. Lewis called "his master"- check it out! It's in the public domain, so you can read it for free here! :-)


'He trembled so at the thunder, that his knees failed him, and he sunk down at North Wind’s feet, and clasped her round the column of her ankle. She instantly stooped, lifted him from the roof — up — up into her bosom, and held him there, saying, as if to an inconsolable child —
“Diamond, dear, this will never do.”
“Oh yes, it will,” answered Diamond. “I am all right now — quite comfortable, I assure you, dear North Wind. If you will only let me stay here, I shall be all right indeed.”
“But you will feel the wind here, Diamond.”
“I don’t mind that a bit, so long as I feel your arms through it,” answered Diamond, nestling closer to her grand bosom.
“Brave boy!” returned North Wind, pressing him closer.
“No,” said Diamond, “I don’t see that. It’s not courage at all, so long as I feel you there.”
“But hadn’t you better get into my hair? Then you would not feel the wind; you will here.”
“Ah, but, dear North Wind, you don’t know how nice it is to feel your arms about me. It is a thousand times better to have them and the wind together, than to have only your hair and the back of your neck and no wind at all.”
“But it is surely more comfortable there?”
“Well, perhaps; but I begin to think there are better things than being comfortable.” '

The "Good Ol' Days"

(NOTE:  Okay- just a forewarning for those who mightst darest to readest this collection of words and punctuation marks (hopefully in some semblance of order.) This particular collection of my next two posts is composed from various writings from different time periods and kinda thrown together. It is on a range of topics that I have thought on at different times and as usual, I have a creative output post following. And as always, I trust everything I say and do is seasoned with grace and whether the preaching is in season or out of season that I'm always proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and God and speaking and living His truth in love. :-)

        So here's a quick catch-you-up catechism for you. (Hopefully it will lead you to proper theology and doctrine, but you probably don't need to use it as such. And I should probably not be using Catholic terms that my Protestant understanding is not as familiar with- lol. But I love my Catholic/Anglican peeps too- they have a lot of cool liturgical practices that I think we can learn a lot from.) Speaking of which, I had kind of an ecumenical experience when I went to an Episcopal church a while back to see Handel's "The Messiah" performed. AWESOME! I don't know if you're supposed to do this at an Episcopal church (but since it is certainly Biblical- Psalms 134:2), I was raising my hands in worship on the Hallelujah Chorus! The LORD God omnipotent reigneth forever! Jesus Christ- The King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Amen! :-) (I was just imagining singing that with billions of others before the glorious throne of the only Holy God for all eternity! One day- one glorious day! :-))

       I've said this before, but it bears repeating. I heard someone on the radio say, "We need Jesus now more than ever." And that's not really true. It implies that there's been a time when we didn't need Jesus as much, and that's not true either. I'm not trying to be a wiseguy about this, but there is an important point here. Sometimes people lament the state of the world today and say things were better back in "the good ol' days". What days were that? The days of war? The days of civil unrest? The days of hatred and murder? The days of disease and natural disaster? The days of dishonesty and theft? The days of sexual immorality? I think it's easy to gloss over history sometimes, particularly our childhood, since we generally weren't paying much attention to the news as kids and so just remember things as being good. (And remember what Ecclesiastes 7:8-10 says about this.) The truth is- things have been bad and are still bad. We are still living in a fallen world that will never be totally fair and right until the day of The Lord Christ! The only "good ol' days" we've had were from Genesis 1-2. It's all been bad since then. We won't have truly "good ol' days" again until Revelation 21-22.
Oh, curse-reversing day of Jesus! He completed the work at Calvary through His death and Resurrection. Through our faith, hope and love in Him we can join Him in His great Kingdom of love and light.

Luke's book's Sequel (song)

When Jesus left us to go back to Heaven, He didn't leave us as orphans. He sent The Holy Spirit to guide and counsel us, convict us and lead us into all truth. And He gives us power to stand strong and share His Word with everyone. And we must be like Christ's first disciples and take the Gospel of Christ crucified and raised for the payment of all sins, offered free to all by faith and repentance, to the world at large. It's the power of God of salvation for the Jews first and then to the foreigner. And we can look to both Luke and Luke's book's sequel for great examples of witness in action. Start where you are and take the love of Christ far and wide.



"Luke's book's Sequel"
(parody of "Jukebox Hero" by Foreigner; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/2014)
(The book of Acts-[particularly Acts 1-2, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:20, Acts 5:27-32], Luke 4:42-44, Luke 10:1-24, Luke 24:36-53, Romans 10:8-17, Jude 1:17-25, Matthew 28:18-20)

Standing on mountain 'cause The Lord said so
Out on Mt. Olivet- Jesus is about to go
He arose in a cloud- Can you picture the scene?
Just these here disciples- they look up intently
Appeared two angels- just blew in to say
"Why're y'all starin' at the sky? He's returning same way"

So Men of Galilee go out serving The Lord
Didn't know how it'd all play out, but they knew for sure
Acts 1 records- Christ laid out the plan- "Don't leave town- 'til Spirit lands
Then comes power upon you guys so
Preach The One Way ticket- only One Way to go"
So they started walking- ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on preaching- So they gonna take Christ all throughout

Go to Je-rusalem, yo- Get started there, guys
Hit up Ju-dea, yeah- in Acts 1:8, go- Sa-maria
Far and going wide- End of the earth (far and going wide)
They're taking Christ worldwide!

Back to town all in one place- they're all in one accord
So they cast lots for disciple- fell on Matthias (yo)
Take a trip to 2 Acts- to that day when He came
And those tongues of fire made their whole lives change
Now they need to keep on talking- they just can't stop
Gonna speak emboldened- The Lord is gonna shake things up!

It'll be like Luke 4:43- go far and go wide
Read in Luke's book's sequel- got started where they were
Yeah, Luke's book's sequel- start of the church
With Acts 1- our charge (start witness, guys!)
The church will thrive (with) changed lives through Christ...Whoa!

Yeah, we're gonna keep on talking- just can't stop
Acts of the Apostles- and now the job is laid to us

24 Luke 48 shows- Got charged to share Christ
Read in Luke's book's sequel- go far and go wide
(Those tongues of fire) Luke wrote Theo (aah aah aah)- Gospel's going worldwide
It's all in Luke's book's sequel (aah aah aah)
You've got (a part) you know (charge! charge!)
Jude 1:23, yo! (charge! charge!)
We've got a charge to share Christ- start here, go wide!

...............................................................................

The Worrier (song)

"And tho' this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us...We will not fear for God hath willed His Truth to triumph through us- Dost ask who this might be? Christ Jesus- it is He! Lord Sabaoth is His Name- From age to age the same- And He must win the battle!" - ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" by Martin Luther)

There are all kinds of scandals out in the world and fears and concerns and trials and tribulations to worry about- but The One who has conquered the world tells us to take heart- He is in control and when we know Jesus as Savior and follow Him- there's no need to worry about anything. Quit being the worrier and become the warrior that Romans 8 declares followers of Christ to be! :-)

"The Worrier"
(parody of "The Warrior" by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/12/2014)
(Psalms 37:23-29, Psalms 104:24-28, Psalms 81:16, Psalms 145:13-21, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:25-34, 2 Timothy 1:6-7, 1 John 4:18, Luke 10:38-42, Philippians 4:4-8, Hebrews 11:1-6, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Habakkuk 2:4, John 16:33, Proverbs 28:1, John 14:1, Psalms 23, John 10, Romans 8)

Ohhh! Ohhh!

We've sung "Trust And Obey"
It's so hard to do in faith
Feeding all those hungry guys
Big Macs tonight; can't get French fries

Well, isn't God providing?
So why's my worldview so negative?
Break out the Ramen please
That's all we eat like stereotypical guys
Love pays no bills
I'm Martha's child

Luke 10:41- my namesake
Good grief!
I am a worrywart
Well, I am the Worrier!
And Father knows our needs
He will provide- Don't worry, sir- Don't worry, girl
Well, talk's easy and cheap
4:19 (in) Philippians- read
It's easy when things are nice
Life crashing makes it rather trite (Ohhh!)
Who, by worry, adds or gains?
God knows my needs- (I'll) call His Name
Behold, He clothes the field lilies
Solomon's array's got zilch on this style
So don't be afraid- God's got all of us, child

Fretting brings me only heartburn
Aw, sheesh!
I am the worrier
Well, I am the worrier
So fearful heart, trust Him!
He will provide- Good Shepherd, yeah- Psalms 23!
He's God- Jehovah Jireh!

Hebrews 11- it's faith-based (Hebrews 11 verse 6 says)
The righteous one- by faith- to please The Lord
So fearful heart, trust Him! (Fearful heart, trust Him!)
He will provide- Don't worry, sir- Don't worry, girl

Working out good- all things- God makes
Rom. 8
I've been the worrier
Now I'm more than conqueror!
Got victory through Christ!

(Seeking God first- all things added- yay!)
6 Matthew- yeah- Trust Him- The Lord Savior!
Shooting down the walls that fear made
Bang, bang
He is The Warrior
Well, I trust my Lord Savior!
(fade)

.............................................................

(I thought it was worth nothing that this parody song was directly inspired by a sermon from my home church circa September 2014- my pastor used the exact phrase that I used for the name of this song- and it brought to mind this classic '80s song and the parody quickly came together from there. And as always, ultimately, it's God who brings all these things to mind and I trust He uses them all for His glory. :-))

God is our GPS :-)

*Another one from the archives....

"Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
I was talking with a friend today about how God doesn't always give us a GPS or even a map! (See Genesis 12:1-9 - God just told Abraham to get up and go to this place He would show him. And he packed up his family and stuff and headed out. God was faithful to lead him to where he needed to go.) And what about Matthew 9:9? Jesus' invitation was and is so simple, "Follow Me." Matthew got up, left his tax collector booth (i.e. his ...job) and followed Jesus. In Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His 12 disciples and told them to go to the lost sheep of Israel- don't take any bags and all- just go and trust God to provide. (And God's people- and/or the man of peace- should help take care of those needs, assuming the workers were worth their salt. And they should be, since Jesus told us that we're the salt of the earth in Matthew 5:13.) Jesus may have seemed to wander from town to town sometimes, but I don't think He ever stopped to ask directions. He mapped out the whole earth! He always knows where He's going. And He's mapped out our whole lives and expects us to just trust and follow Him wherever He leads. We don't always know where we're going, but God does and He's the Master Cartographer- He guides and guards our every step and gets us safely to every place we need to be at the right time. The disciples had much better than GPS or Mapquest or Google maps- they didn't need to Google something- they could just ask Jesus the Creator God Himself! And so can we. Keep trusting and following one day at a time.

God in the Poll Booth

Well, not only am I going to break the old saying about not talking about religion and politics in mixed company (since more than likely there will be disagreements and we can’t seem to amicably handle those situations by agreeing to disagree agreeably), but I’m also going to mix both religion and politics and talk about both here. And yes, with the 2014 U.S. mid-term elections around the corner of the calendar, it seemed appropriate timing.
              Let me point out what I am not going to do here though. I have no intention of ever telling anyone how to vote and who to vote for, as I feel people are capable of making their own minds on that and should, empowered by careful research, follow their own conscience on such matters. I don’t endorse any particular candidate but Jesus Christ and I don’t endorse any particular party except for the one Jesus throws in Heaven with all the angels at just one sinner who repents. :-) I don’t even really endorse any particular ideology other than Christian theology entrusted to and enacted by hearts that have been set free by the crucifixion of Christ on the cross at Calvary and the glorious Resurrection of Christ that brings restoration, redemption and renewal.
                In fact, I will go ahead and lay out my only bit of voting advice. Vote for whoever you think God wants you to vote for. Grammatical issues aside, I think that’s the only issue at hand when it comes to elections. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, we should do everything for God’s glory and as Colossians 3:23 tells us, we should everything as unto The Lord (that is, with our best effort.) Those two verses speak to two major things that should guide our voting. And to be clear, I do think we should take advantage of the right to vote in countries that afford this privilege. [Sadly, this is something to remember too- voting is a privilege as in many countries it is not an option for the people at all.] If we are doing everything for God’s glory, then this includes our voting at the polls. And that should be the guiding principle for everything in our lives, of course. Now I don’t know what this will translate into for anyone else as far as candidates and such goes, but I do know that we should look for candidates who truly represent the values that God holds dear as much as possible. I know that this is not fully possible as we also must acknowledge that we are all miserable sinners who fall woefully short of God’s glory and ultimately, we can only hope to find someone who labors to uphold God’s standards, though obviously they will not be perfect in those efforts. We must extend grace to our leaders and everyone else, for that matter, just as much as we are so quick to extend to ourselves. If God is willing to be gracious and forgiving, then so must we, as Jesus made very clear in His parable of the unmerciful servant. (See Matthew 18:21-35)
                Ah, but the question is raised then- what of the circumstances when we can’t seem to find any leader that holds to and upholds God’s values? What to do indeed? Well, here is where our other guiding verse comes into play. As Colossians 3:23 says, we should everything as unto The Lord and offer our best to Him. (Many other verses make that principle clear- for instance, one of my favorites, Malachi 1:14, says it quite well. :-)) How can we offer our best to The Lord in the way we vote? I think this calls for discipline on our part to do good research on all of the candidates in the running and make informed decisions. As Hosea 4:6 laments, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” How true it is. So let’s make sure to do thorough research to find out, as much as possible, what the candidates really stand for and how it’s been played out in their lives thus far. An important distinction I want to make here is that I personally like to look at candidates and not party affiliations. I do not hold to the Republican party or Democrat party. Or the Green party. Or the Libertarian party. Or the Constitution party. Or the various parties that we tend to forget even exist past the big two. (Again, excuse my grammar there. ;-)) I don’t even hold to the Independent status. I am dependent on Jesus Christ and I hold on to Him above all else- and He is above all else- all political parties, all ideologies and philosophies, all kings and rulers, lords and gods- everything and everyone.
                This leads into one other important point I want to make on politics and leaders and so forth. As much as we should try to think the best of our leaders rather than the worst and give them the benefit of the doubt as much as we give others and ourselves most of all, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hold them to standards. As a leader, they are given greater responsibilities and held accountable by God. In fact, Romans 13 specifies that it is God Who sets them in authority. And He’s The One Who takes them down as well. And because God has set them in power, out of reverence for God, we are called to respect and obey the government authorities that God has put in place. We are also called to love our leaders, as Jesus commands us to love everyone (John 13:34-35), and respect them as well and pray for them. (See 1 Peter 2:9-25 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2) And this means adhering to the rules and yes, paying our taxes. (Jesus gave us the example in Matthew 17:24-27 as He paid His taxes. Of course, He had that cool trick where He could tell Peter to go fishing and that he’d find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he caught. :-) But nonetheless, as Christ provided for Peter’s tax and His own, He can certainly provide for us in everything. And we must remember what He taught in the incident in Luke 20:19-26- “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s [insert the name of your country’s government here ;-)] and to God what is God’s.”
                Now I must also acknowledge that there are times when the government might require unfair taxes from us and times when we may feel pushed to do things that go against God’s Word. And ultimately, if it comes down to the government vs. God, I’m going to go with God over the government. As Peter said in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than men.” Until it is at that point, I think there are times when we as Christians are called to let ourselves be taken advantage of and remember that God sees all that is done and vengeance is His and He will repay people for their deeds. (Matthew 5:38-48, Job 34:10-11) It may also help us to remember the context of the verses that command us to respect and obey the government authority that God has established. First of all, as I said earlier, we particularly obey the government authority and respect it out of respect for God Himself and in obedience to Him, just as we do with our parents, teachers, pastor and other positions of leadership. But think about the people in Peter’s and Paul’s day. They were under the tyranny of Nero, who used Christians for nightlights! In a time when Christians were being thrown to the lions to be eaten for the Romans to enjoy as sport and when Christians were being burned at the stake- all because of their faith in Christ- this is when they are hearing God’s command to respect and honor the government institution of their day- which mean respecting and obeying Nero and the laws his government had established. (Except, of course, as noted before, when it came to laws that directly went against God’s Word.) If Christians then could obey this command and Christians in communist countries that live in dictatorships instead of democracies can obey this command, then I think American Christians and Christians in democratic countries particularly can obey this command. (And of course, our circumstances don’t really matter- we are still commanded to uphold and obey all of God’s Word whether we like it or not and no matter what the circumstances.) [Note: As a caveat here, I realize this last statement could lead into discussions over upholding the spirit of the law over the letter of the law and honoring the greater moral value (key examples being Rahab and the Israelite spies and the midwives serving Pharaoh at the birth of Moses, etc.), but that’s a discussion for another blog, perhaps.] [Also, please note: I am NOT making any comparisons whatsoever of any leaders to Nero. I am just pointing out different circumstances.] And ultimately, it’s all through Jesus’ power- we rely on His strength and His love to work in us to obey His Word and love, respect and honor others- even leaders that we may not totally agree with all the time.
                I know that some say that respect must be earned rather than given freely. However, I don’t feel that this is a Biblical attitude. Though I agree with the sentiment in some regards and I do think people should make the effort to earn respect through their lives, I also think that their seeming virtue or lack thereof (and by the way, we all have a lack thereof- the only virtue and good any of us have is from Jesus, if we are in Him) has nothing to do with the respect we owe them as people made in the image of God and loved eternally by Him. (Genesis 1:26-27, Jeremiah 31:3, Ezekiel 18:23, 2 Peter 3:8-9, Romans 5:8, John 15:12) We are called to love regardless- and love keeps no record of wrongs. And Jesus loved and gave Himself for us when we were yet sinners- and we can do no less for others. This is what we are called to do.
                And as we ponder all these things at the polls, we also know that ultimately God is in control of all these events and He knows what is to come- He laughs while the nations rage. (Psalms 2) He is in control of all things and He is the One we must trust above all else. Stop putting your trust in man, who has just a breath in his nostrils. [Which God gave him to begin with!] Of what account is he? (My quote/paraphrase of Isaiah 2:22). This is why I’m not really concerned too much with who gets elected and who is in charge. I know my King is always on the throne- and He’s King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:16) And He reigns forever over all. And He will put all things to rights in His time. So take heart- we’re going to have trials and tribulations and of course, death and taxes, in this world- but Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33) So put your hope in Him and praise Him- His will will be done. Jesus rules! (And I mean that literally). :-)

Cut It Out!

[Note: Here's another one from the archives- August 28, 2008 or somewhere thereabouts. This is one of the times where I really felt The Holy Spirit showing me new cool stuff in Bible verses I'd read a million times before, and as someone who particularly struggles at times with knowing if God has really spoken to me and such- these kinds of moments are always very awesome to experience and a great reminder to me of Jesus' work in my life. So I hope it's helpful for you. And yes, I totally had to reference Joey Gladstone from "Full House" in the title, so you can imagine the appropriate snipping hand gestures with it too. :-)]

I want to segue a bit into a spiritual matter for a second. I want to post this because I was doing my quiet time on Sunday and I felt like the Holy Spirit had really shown me something new from some familiar verses (He's always doing stuff like that when I'm paying attention ;-)) and I wanted to share with someone- for the moment I wrote it down in my notebook.
     Anyway, I was reading Matthew 5, where Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount. I've read all these verses many times before, but Matthew 5:27-30 really hit me. Jesus tells us that to even look at a woman lustfully is the same as committing adultery with her in your heart. And then He goes on to say that if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. (Which is really kind of significant in His Jewish culture there, because for most people in that area of the world, the right hand is their "good" hand. Not in the sense that it's necessarily the hand they write with- but typically the left hand was reserved for one duty only- wiping your butt. Seriously. Thus, the right hand was used for shaking hands and so forth.) Just interesting to note. But Jesus said it's better for you to lose one part of your body and get into Heaven than to have your whole body intact and be thrown into Hell. So yeah, even if you're left with just your poop-wiping hand, it's still better to be one-handed and get into Heaven than to get into Hell with your whole body intact.
         The point is that Jesus takes sin very seriously. I don't think He literally means body dismemberment here necessarily, but perhaps there's other things in our life that we need to cut off completely if they cause us to sin. This can range from movies, TV shows, videos, books, comic books, music- any of it. If it causes us to think impure things or dwell on sinful things- get rid of it! This definitely also applies to habits. It might mean to stop hanging out with certain people and to not go to places of temptation. Whatever you have to do to cut the sin out. (1 Thessalonians 5:22) "Avoid every appearance of evil."
 -Also, this ties in to what Jesus was saying about cutting off body parts because whatever a man dwells on, he becomes! (Proverbs 23:7 KJV- "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.") Thus, it becomes a part of his body when a man sins and since as Christians we are the body of Christ, we have to cut off whatever slows or hinders us or causes us to sin. (Hebrews 12:1-4) We must be perfect and holy because God is perfect and holy. (Matthew 5:48)
And we need to do Philippians 4:8 - think on the pure things of God alone.
       Anyway, I just thought that was a really practical way to put those verses into practice- and when I say all this, believe me- I'm preaching to myself too.

Obscure Clarity (poem)

     This is a poem I wrote a while back that I wanted to post on the blog here as I came across it in my old writings today. [Every now and then I like to repost some of my older writings from previous blogs and such just for archival purposes, and also because they are meaningful to me and I hope God may use them to encourage someone else too. :-)]
    It's kind of making fun of poems that are so deep with their meanings and have all these big words that you have to wade through to try to get to what you think the author meant. And the ambiguity that's almost purposefully put in place sometimes gets me annoyed sometimes- because you need to say what you mean and mean what you say. (Like Jesus said in Matthew 5:33-37) Of course, it's also written in a similar style as part of the joke. But catch the punchline at the end. (Bonus points to catch the references :-))
    Well, thanks to everyone who reads these things for faithfully doing that and for your prayers and God bless us, everyone! Hallelujah! Praise The Lord Jesus- He reigns! :-)

Obscure Clarity
....................
(copyright Nathan Ludwick 8/16/2008)
(Matthew 13:11-15, Proverbs 25:11, 1 Corinthians 1:25)

Insipid, vapid, rapid drips onto my page
Conspired, desired, inspired attempts in vain
What does it mean to glean meaning?
Is the inkwell deep or has it run dry?
Behind every conjured image does a metaphor hide?
Tired, mired, attired phrases to decipher
Incited, recited, invited analysis forms a cipher
Where everything is possible and nothing is as it seems
Enter the labyrinth to find out what it means
And the minotaur is just men who tire
Contrived, imbibed, arrived at what should be
Controlled, retold, untold concealed revealed themes
The world's foolish wisdom in majestic rhyme schemes
The Lord's wise foolishness plain, real and free

Prove 'Em Wrong (song)

[Note: Since I just recently completed a pretty different song parody based on the book of Job, I thought it might be fun to post my earlier song parody that dealt with Job. This one is from the summer of 2007. Enjoy! :-)]

I thought I'd post another writing for your enjoyment (or bemusement or begroanings or whatever ;-))
     When I originally finished this song parody, I really was quite excited with this one.  It's kind of inspired in some ways by the pastor at NewSpring Church (www.newspring.cc) (www.perrynoble.com) (which I attended for a while and was a member there when I lived in the area)
     At the time, I corresponded with the pastor through email every now and then and one time I left him a book called "I'm Not Mad at God" by David Wilkerson (which is really pretty awesome- I might post some from it later on) that I thought he might like.  He liked it and wanted to keep it- and so actually offered to buy me another copy- so I went to get that.  That was pretty cool- and the receptionist at the church let me get a free Coke Zero! Cool :-)
        Anyway, he deals with a lot of critics that object to some of the rather unorthodox things NewSpring Church does (I mean- obeying Jesus- imagine that! ;-))  And since a lot of criticism comes to him through email and bloggers, I put in a line toward that near the end. 
   And of course, I first heard the original song at that church!!!  (Yeah, the church worship band plays some secular music every now and then!  At church there, I've heard this song, that "You Are So Beautiful" song by Joe Cocker, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band (um- the clean version), "Life is a Highway" (as performed by Rascal Flatts in the "Cars" movie), "White Wedding" by Billy Idol, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, "Fix You" by Coldplay, and "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC (they didn't sing any lyrics!) )
     Before you get upset about the music, they've used all these songs when they fit with the theme of the service and they generally have worked quite well, I think.  (They also play a lot of modern worship music- Steve Fee, Chris Tomlin, Hill Song United, etc.)- and even some hymns! - like "Amazing Grace" and "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"
    (And hey, over the month of August 2007, they've seen like 800 people receive Christ as Savior- so that's pretty AWESOME!  Apparently the church is doing something right- mainly keeping the focus of the church on JESUS and HIS WORD! :-) I'm sure the numbers are even more now! :-) Praise God for all He's done with that church!)
              Okay- anyway, back to the song.  I had one idea for it at first- and put it aside for a while- and then picked it back up when I heard this great sermon on Job one Sunday morning.  And that was cool.  Job lost most everything he had!  And he still could say, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord." And he didn't sin by accusing God of wrongdoing!  And if you read the end of the book, Job got back all he had at the start twicefold!  And so God gave me a great inspiration for this song with this sermon!  (And of course, He inspires everything I do- and gives me the ability to do anything! John 15:5)
        And this song is also inspired by and I guess dedicated to my younger friends who have been an encouragement and inspiration to me (and I know I've said this some before, but I really do mean it)- the FCA at ol' Pelion High School has really grown since I was there- and I'm glad for that!  It's definitely good to see that many of the **ah-hem**slightly** younger generation fired up for Christ!  NEVER lose that!!!  Don't let anyone get you down and discourage you in your walk with Christ.  I especially think of Relient K's song "What Have You Been Doing Lately?"- I know we all have our moments when we may fall down and God has to pick us up- but I don't ever want to see any of my Christian friends fall away from Jesus.  And don't let the world or the devil tell you this Christian life can't be done.  Jesus came to give us abundant LIFE (John 10:10)- I want to keep that same passion for life and for Jesus flaming every day!  So, just stay strong and keep on!  (I also think of the "Facing the Giants" movie a lot with this song)
   Also, you might like my Chris Rice reference in there- check out his new album! ("What a Heart is Beating For") Sheol is the Hebrew word for the grave- also translated as Hell in some verses.  And don't depress me and ask me what Pong is ;-)
           Okay- enough prattling on my part.  Here you go.
(Fun midi to sing along to-http://www.mididelight.com/midi_files/modern_rock/move_along.mid)

"Prove 'Em Wrong"           
 (parody of "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 08/28/2007)
(Job 1:20-22, 2:9-13, 13:15, 16:1-5, 19:25-27, 42:1-6, 42:10-16
James 5:11, Psalms 7, John 17:15-17,  Hebrews 3:1, 11, 12:1-14, Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:6, James 5:13-15)

Verse 1
Go ahead as you waste these days with thinking
"When you fall, it's 'cause you're bad"
Another day and Job's had his fill of prattling
With his wife telling him,
"Abandon your faith in the Lord,
Things can't be worse in Sheol"

Chorus 1
Seems to me, when all your hopes and dreams are gone
Move along, sing a song like Job chose to do
And even when your world is wrong
Move along and read on- Job 1:22
Moving on! Sing a song!

Verse 2
Though He slay me, I trust the Lord completely
Could be tonight when my life ends
Such a faith that will leave me still believing
In the end my Redeemer
Stands upon the earth
His hands held mine since birth!

Chorus 2
Seems to me, when all you ever see is wrong
You keep on and abscond what the world tells you
And even when you lope along
You stay strong and bank on James 5:11 too!
7 Psalms!

(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
We're in the world and not of, it feels like Pong
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, Hebrews 3:1
(E)leven, 12:1, Run on!

When all Job's fragile things were gone
Move along and read on- Chapter 42
And read in 10 how Job got on
El-Elyon poured it on- all Job's stuff times two!

When all your hopes and dreams are gone
Move along, sing a song- like Job showed you to
And even when your world is wrong
You keep on, trust in God- Jesus is holding you!

When all you ever see is wrong
Just stay strong, sing a song- like God told you to
And even when you can't go on
Just hold on and stay strong- God's not done with you!

(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
So much for my sad song
We move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
Fight back and stay strong
Now move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When skeptics write a blog
Prove 'em wrong!
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
He'll right back what is wrong
We move along
.........................................
Thus endeth this chronicle. 
Until next time- keep moving on- with Jesus!
:-)
                                           

Some Long-Suffering and Faith Building (song)

This song explains that although sin does indeed come naturally, punishment of it is not necessarily always the reason for suffering. Sometimes we go through hard things simply because we live in a fallen and broken world. But we're never alone in it and need never feel alone again because Jesus has come to restore our relationship with God through His death and Resurrection and our faith in Him. And it's our faith and trust in Christ to move in us that compels us to endure and patiently wait on God.

"Some Long-Suffering and Faith Building" (parody of "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan; copyright Nathan Ludwick 8/30/2014)
(James 5:11, Hebrews 11-12, Habakkuk 2:4, the book of Job [particularly Job 1:5 and 8, 1:20-22, 2:9-10, 2:11-13, 3, 7:11-21, 8, 11, 13:15, 13:23-28, 15:1-16, 16:1-2, 16:7-22, 17, 19:20-22, 19:25-27, 21, 22:21-30, 23, 25, 27:1-12, 32, 33, 34:10-12, 36, 37:14-24, 38:1-15, 40, 41:1-11, 42])

In an Israeli town
A patriarch's feeling pretty well down
He lost his wealth, his kids and health
And visiting friends come 'round
Been clinging to his God
But thrown way, way off
It's an affront to
Everything that he'd ever
Thought he'd known that God's like
Now he's shattered
Wife's urging him to blurt out a curse
What foolishness you're saying! Well, God gives stuff
And takes it up
No point in us complaining
We take evil or good
And praise God on His throne
In Job 2:10- now go read

To think that just the other day
Job who fears God; upright, no blame
Burning offerings for his children too
Thus Job did continually
But this test just knocked him down
There's tragedy all around
And he hurts so much, his friends are hushed
Sat that way for a whole week, yeah
Grieving, Job's in doubt
What about God and His mercy?
Job's bitter soul is in anguish
"Why did He desert me?"
In Job's hour of need
His friends have all agreed
"Well, Job- you've sinned, naturally."

It seems to be that the wicked hearts
Prosper in the world- that can't be fair then
Job 34:10
11, too
They get their dues

[Instrumental interlude]

Another friend comes to speak

Holding back; he's young in years
Then Elihu lets them hear
Now remember you guys Who is justified
In everything, so Him revere
And in 38:1 Job
Gets answered- God questions Job
"Can you understand?- Face Me like a man"
"Where were you when I laid earth's foundation?"
"Singing morning stars"
"sons of God shouted with elation"
"Leviathan- you can't tame him or Me"
Job's words were poorly spoken
And when he prayed ashamed
God restored things twicefold- yay!
So Job and friends saw God's mercy
James 5 commends his patience, see.

....................................................................

Some Long-Suffering and Faith Building (song) [intro]

We live in a fallen world. That is the sad fact of the matter. Everything is broken. Evil is rampant. Pain and suffering surround us. It can be overwhelming at times and leaving us feeling alone- again. (Naturally). And that, of course, is key to my point. The natural state of the world is in decay because of Adam and Eve's sin. But the second Adam from above, Jesus Christ, has come to redeem us and restore things to righteousness. (Romans 5:12-21) And though we have to wait for the fulfillment of everything in Revelation for the final healing (when Christ returns and fully restores and repairs everything broken and makes everything sad come untrue)- in the meantime, we have the promise of knowing that God is in control and He does have our good and best interest in mind and at heart. However, though Jeremiah 29:11 promises this, it doesn't necessarily mean that we will have a perfect and rosy life that is problem-free- at least, not in this lifetime and state. Jesus tells us that it is a hard road to follow Him- people will persecute and hate us for His Name and we will have to endure suffering. But Jesus also promises to never leave us and never forsake us- He goes through every pain and suffering with us. And He has already suffered every pain for us on the cross- and His glorious Resurrection means that we will also raise with Him in glory one day. And while we fix our eyes on the eternal and await that blessed Hope of Glory, we remember that our present suffering is not worth comparing to it. And we trust that God is faithful and He will work out His plan for us- and be with us through all the painful sorrows along that plan's path.
          I'm also glad to know that we serve a God who listens to our every cry and never slumbers. (Psalms 121). He invites us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7). And once we've done that- leave them there. Leave the worries and cares and pains and sorrows in His hands and trust that the Hands of Grace, Righteous Judgment, Mercy and Love will do what's right and will work all things together to the good of us who love Him and are called by His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Lamenting is definitely part of worship- it's simply being honest with God about where we are right now in this stage of life- emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally, relationally- everything. He already knows anyway, so we might as well come right out and tell Him. Just look at Jeremiah. He's called the Weeping Prophet and I don't think it's just because he was weeping for Jerusalem. (Though he certainly was- his beloved city was going to be destroyed and he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was be faithful to deliver God's message to the people that Jerusalem was going to burn. And this is a message that God had told him people would spurn and that no one would listen to- but he must be faithful to deliver it anyway. Wow! That's tough. And Jeremiah went through physical suffering as well, at one point being imprisoned in a slimy pit and feeling like he was about to die there!) So yeah- I think he was also weeping for himself some. And through the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, he poured out his feelings in a book called Lamentations. And see also books like Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk and a ton of the Psalms. Even Jesus cried out to God the Father on cross, "Eli, Eli lema sabachthani- Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" [in Matthew 27:46] ("My God, My God- Why hast Thou forsaken Me?"- He was quoting Psalms 22, by the way.) [Of course, as Psalms 16 notes- God didn't forsake Him in the end because He didn't leave His Holy One in the grave to corruption- but raised Him again! :-)]
           And there are plenty of other examples to name of course. Elijah, coming off a huge victory over Baal and his prophets in 1 Kings 18, ran off running scared in 1 Kings 19, convinced that Ahab and Jezebel were about to kill him and that he was so sick and tired that he just wanted God to go ahead and do him in, kill him now and take him Home. But God spoke to him and told him that things weren't as bad as he thought and that He still had 700 folks who hadn't bowed the knee to Baal. He wasn't alone. And then there's Paul, about whom God actually told Ananias that He was going to show him how much he would suffer for Jesus' Name! And Paul certainly did! Just read the book of Acts. Shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, even stoned at one point- yet, he remained faithful- even to the death! (Biblical scholars tell us that Paul was most likely beheaded for his faith in Christ.) And what did Paul say about his situation? "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) Writing from a Philippian prison, he told us to "Rejoice in The Lord always! And again, I say- rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). Of course, Paul is also the dude who, through The Holy Spirit's inspiration, wrote about that Glory that's coming to which all the suffering and junk in this life ain't worth comparing!
           Then we get to the guy this song talks about. (And I know that's a really long intro!) Job may have felt alone, but he wasn't- he did have some true friends. I've always found it funny that though all his kids died, the one family member we do know he was left with is his wife. You'd think this should be some comfort for him- but she was the one telling him, "What? Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Wow! Thanks for the words of encouragement, dear!
But Job, in one stunning blow after another, lost all his livestock and all his kids. And then he got stricken with an incredibly painful disease that left him scraping sores on his body from head to foot with broken pottery. And that's how Job felt- like broken, smashed pottery. His world had just caved in. Now we're given an interesting picture of the story going on in the Heavenly realms- where God is proving to Satan that Job is indeed faithful and that he truly worships and follows God for God Himself- not for God's stuff. (And that is indeed the attitude we should all have. Of course, that takes having a relationship with Jesus Christ where we acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord and trust Him for His salvation and forgiveness through His death and Resurrection. And it takes a realization that everything we own comes from God- it's all His to begin with and He takes and He gives as He sees fit. And whether The Lord gives or takes, may the Name of The Lord be praised!)
           And though Job doubted God on His plan throughout the book, he never doubted God's position of power and authority. As Job notes in Job 19:25-27, "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" And his friends Zophar, Bildad and Eliphaz didn't really help him on that front. But though those guys get a bad rap over their counsel to Job, they did do at least one thing that is pretty amazing! The Bible says that they saw how great Job's suffering was and in a show of solidarity, they sat with him in silence for seven days! (Job 2:11-13) I give them a lot of props for that- they did utilize quite possibly the best comfort we can offer those who are suffering- suffer alongside them in silence. (Romans 12:14-17)
              Finally, Elihu comes along and sets everyone straight on a lot of misconceptions they've been presenting about God. God is always righteous in all His judgments. And God sometimes allows suffering for different reasons- not always just as punishment for someone's sin. But God has a purpose in it all and even in the midst of horrible suffering and pain, He can still bring a good end to it all and positive things can rise out of the ashes. The fire of pain and suffering is God's finishing tool for forging our refined lives into spiritual masterpiece works of art. (1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 12). And as Job acknowledges at the end of the book, after God shows up to answer Job's charges, we have spoken of what we don't know in front of the holy God. As Job said, we should put our hands over our mouths in our ignorance. God tells Job, in effect, "Hey, Job- Man up! Let's have it out. Since you know so much- tell me, can you wrestle down a Leviathan? Do you understand how all the creatures of the earth operate? Did you put the planets and stars in place? Do you command the seasons and tell them when to do what? Do you tell the snow when to fall? Do you tell the tide how far to come? Where were you when I laid earth's foundations?"
               So the answer to the initial question about the pain and suffering and the world and why it's still here comes down to this: our sin. God created man to be upright and we've gone off in search of many schemes. And so evil runs rampant, wicked people seem to prosper for now and the righteous suffer. But as Asaph found out in Psalms 73- the wicked only prosper for a while in this life. Their final destination is eternal judgment in Hell, but the righteous through Christ have the promise of eternal life in Heaven! And as Job found out, there are some things we just can't know and understand now- and that we may never understand. But we can trust that God is good and that He always has our good and best interests in mind and at heart. He is not a sadist. He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone- even the wicked. (see Ezekiel 18:23) He only wants everyone to turn from their wicked ways and live! And sometimes, even as the righteous of God, we are called to suffer and trust that He still loves us and cares for us and is working out a good plan in the midst of it. As David said when he had to go through some pain and suffering (as a consequence of his sin), "Let me fall into the hand of The Lord, for His mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man." (1 Chronicles 21:13) Amen. We can always trust the hand of The Lord. His hand does bring justice and judgment but we can also trust Him to remember His love and mercy and grace too and know that since Christ has paid for all our wrongs and endured all the suffering so no one else would ever have to- we can look forward to the coming Glory that will surpass all our suffering in the here and now. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)
         And as Hebrews reminds us in chapter 11, the great Hall of Faith, faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. Read all the accounts there- these people followed God to places they'd never been, to and through incredibly hard challenges and more- and remained faithful and obedient through it all. They were seeking a better country- our Heavenly one. "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God has provided something better for us, that apart from they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 11:39-40 and 12:1-4) And in Hebrews 13:11-13, "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured." Notice the key word through these passages- "endured". As we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, this life we live is a marathon. Run in a way as to get the prize. We run for an imperishable prize. And in 1 Corinthians 16:22, we see the exhortation for The Lord to come. ("Maranatha!") But remember that the marathon comes before the maranatha.
            And in running that marathon, it is Jesus Himself Who keeps us running, who gives us strength to carry on. It's this patience that God the Holy Spirit provided Job that Job is commended for in James 5:11. It's that patient endurance that we are exhorted to exhibit in Hebrews 11. And it's Jesus' righteousness that gets us the prize- and He's the One who moves our legs all the way through to the finish line. "The righteous shall live by faith." (Habakkuk 2:4) "Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)

Getting A Cold Drink That Lives On (song)

Well, I may get some flack for this, but I guess God has given me a knack for doing parody songs. (If they're actually good- if not, it's all me- lol.) This song talks about something else God gives freely- the gift of living water that becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life! Jesus offers this gift to all who will believe and trust Him. :-)

"Getting A Cold Drink That Lives On" (parody of "Killing Me Softly with his Song" by Roberta Flack; copyright Nathan Ludwick 8/22/2014)
(John 4)

Chumming around with a stranger
Speaking me life with His words
Sitting there weary in 4 John
"Give Me please some drink"- Ain't it wrong?
Telling my whole life with His words
Giving me mercy- says He's God

A tourist from Judea
He floored me with His style
This Samaritan woman
Did listen for a while
And there I was- this non-Jew
A stranger they despise

(He's) Bumming a drink from a stranger
(I'm) Thinking He's Christ by His words
Living water He gives out now
Welling up life eternally strong
Welling to new life- give me, Sir
Nailing me- Sixteen in 4 John

I asked Jesus for water
Embarrassed by just how
I felt He'd read my letters
And called me out right now
He stated out all my business
But even then Christ loved

Cut to the chase- all those misters
Springer would like (me) for his show
"Call for him," Christ says- "your husband."
Telling Him rightly, "I have none."
"Well, girl you've had five and what's more"
"That man ain't your hubby you're with now"

He spoke truth, yeah- He knew me
In all my dark despair
And when He looked right through me
I knew there's something there
And we just kept on talking
On worshipping Lord God

Coming a time when it's different
(In) Spirit and truth must worship
Telling me God seeks such as those
Telling me God is spirit, hon'
Tell Him I know Christ will explain
Telling me He speaks with you now!

(Oh, oh, oh- la, la, la............)

Coming back then, His disciples
Marveling that Christ's talking to a girl
Leaving my jar there, went to town
Telling the folks to see this Man
(Who's) telling my whole life with His words
Can it be?

They were coming to Him
Yeah, they're believing in Christ
My testimony brought them on
Many more believed when they saw
Hearing for themselves all His words
Winning us over
With His love

....................................................................................

Maranatha!

         Maranatha! (An Aramaic phrase combo meal [loaded with the good calories for energy though- so it's all cool] which translated can be interpreted as, "The Lord has come!" Of course, this is true- this is what we celebrate at Christmas and Easter. At the Ascension, we celebrate His promise to return. At this celebration, the more recent interpretation would be appropriate, "Come, Lord!"
Just as the last verses of The Bible say- "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." (Revelation 22:20-21) (This of course, being a seemingly Greek equivalent.)
          However, though in one sense, from God's view, The Lord has come and come again and everything is finished [since He exists outside of time and can see everything all at once- Yeah, He's way cool like that. I try not to think on that concept too long because then my finite little 3 1/2 pounds of brain explode! But I definitely like to think on the concept that The Lord God is awesome and worthy to be praised- and that's just one of the infinitely many cool reasons!].
          But from our limited, time-bound human perspective, though The Lord has come, we haven't seen The Lord come again yet. But He will come in His time- and thus, while we wait and watch expectantly, we must also work wholeheartedly for our wonderful Lord and worry not about such things [or anything] because this is what He commands. (As Jesus summarized- Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. [Matthew 22:34-40] And if you want an even simpler version, Jesus also gave us the Golden Rule- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. Note that Jesus says that this is The Law and The Prophets! And as Ephesians 4:15 notes, speak the Truth in Love. :-))
          So, all that was to say- First comes the marathon, then the maranatha. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) But yes- Amen! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
          And since Wikipedia just informed me that that phrase only appears once in The New Testament (in Aramaic), and it's in 1 Corinthians 16:22, my last statement is even truer than I realized- lol. [Note: While I would not recommend Wikipedia as a source for research papers for school and such, I do recommend the reference links it provides- there are usually some quite interesting ones and I suggest checking the one listed there for further reading.]
        (Also, see this nice article from Compass Bible Church that explains it in more detail.)

 

66 Verses

Hey- here's a "survey" of sorts I came up with.
What's your favorite Bible verse?
Okay, besides John 3:16 (though that is an awesome verse that I can never hear enough :-) )
What's your favorite verse for each book of The Bible?
I've been going through and writing down 1 verse for each book of The Bible that I wanted to learn, so I thought I'd share them.
Try it yourself.  And then memorize them.  And more importantly, do them! :-)

(Now of course, I limited myself to just one verse- and I'm not trying to say that this verse represents the whole book- because it's ALL important!  And I love it ALL!  I just picked out some favorites...for instance, I'm really wanting to include this awesome verse somewhere so I'm gonna stick in here-
"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked?" (Ecclesiastes 7:13- I LOVE this verse!!!  And God first really showed me how awesome that verse is when I saw it at the start of the 1997 movie "Gattaca"!!!- which is an awesome scifi movie with a great message- when properly edited...)
(So anyway- all of God's Word is important, so keep working at it so you can be like Jack Van Impe and memorize the whole Bible- Genesis through Revelation and even the maps! )
(If you don't quite have 66 verses yet, you can pass this along with at least 1 favorite Bible verse anyway...)

Genesis 1:1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Exodus 3:14
"God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

Leviticus 11:45
"I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."

Numbers 32:23
"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out."

Deuteronomy 6:4-5
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength."

Joshua 1:8-9
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperou and succesful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Judges 10:15-16
"But the Israelites said to the LORD, 'We have sinned. Do with us whatever You think best, but please rescue us now.' Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer."

Ruth 1:16-18
"But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where yout stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will died, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.' When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her."

1 Samuel 15:22
"But Samuel replied: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.' "

2 Samuel 22:31-34
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights."

1 Kings 18:38-39
"Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The LORD- He is God! The LORD- He is God!' "

2 Kings 6:16-17
" 'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered. 'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'O, LORD, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

1 Chronicles 4:9-10
"Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, 'I gave birth to him in pain.' Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request."

2 Chronicles 2:5
"This will be a magnificent temple because our God is an awesome God, greater than any other."

Ezra 10:11
"Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people around you and from your foreign wives."

Nehemiah 9:6
"You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything and the multitudes of Heaven worship You."

Esther 4:12-14
"When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: 'Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?' "

Job 1:20-22
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.' In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing."

Psalms 1:1-2
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night."

Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

Ecclesiastes 3:11
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) 2:4
"He has taken me to the banquet hall, and His banner over me is love."

Isaiah 45:18
"For the LORD is God, and He created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos."

Jeremiah 33:3
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Lamentations 3:22-23
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Ezekiel 18:23
" 'Do you think,' asks the Sovereign LORD, 'That I like to see wicked people die? Of course not! I only want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.' "

Daniel 3:16-18
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the King, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from i, and He will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.' "

Hosea 2:19-20
"I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the LORD."

Joel 2:12-13
" 'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."

Amos 5:14-15
"Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph."

Obadiah 1:4
" 'Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,' declares the LORD."

Jonah 4:10-11
"But the LORD said, 'You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousad people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

Micah 7:18-20
"Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as You pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago."

Nahum 1:7-8
"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him, but with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh; He will pursue His foes into darkness."

Habakkuk 3:18-19
"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments."

Zephaniah 3:19-20
" 'At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,' says the LORD."

Haggai 1:2-3
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai, 'Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?' "

Zechariah 4:6
"So he said to me, 'This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

Malachi 1:14
"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished offering to the LORD. 'For I am a great king,' say the LORD Almighty, 'And My name is to be feared among the nations.' "

Matthew 19:26
"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' "

Mark 9:41
"I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in My name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward."

Luke 2:7-14
"And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the LORD. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the Heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.' "

John 14:6
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.' "

Acts 4:19-20
"But Peter and John replied, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.' "

Romans 8:10
"But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness."

1 Corinthians 1:25
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

2 Corinthians 7:1
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

Galatians 5:24
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."

Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is a work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Philippians 1:21
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Colossians 3:23-24
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the LORD as a reward. It is the LORD Christ you are serving."

1 Thessalonians 5:23
"May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 3:13
"And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right."

1 Timothy 1:15-17
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

2 Timothy 3:14-15
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

Titus 3:4-7
"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by Hi grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Philemon 1:4-6
"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the LORD Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."

Hebrews 4:12-13
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

James 1:22
"Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

1 Peter 3:15-17
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as LORD Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

2 Peter 3:8-9
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the LORD a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The LORD is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

1 John 3:16-20
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything."

2 John 1:12
"I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be made complete."

3 John 1:4
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

Jude 1:24-25
"To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our LORD, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

Revelation 22:20-21
"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'
Amen. Come LORD Jesus. The grace of the LORD Jesus be with God's people. Amen."